BUSINESS AND TECH NEWS

Make your vinyls portable with this handheld gadget

Vinyl records have had a huge resurgence over the last few years and even outsold digital music in the last year, but they are a bit of a cumbersome way to listen to music.

That might just change though with a new Kickstarter called RokBlok, a small little handheld device that will play your vinyl records anywhere you are. It’s a smart concept; a little robot, essentially, spins around on top of the record you want to play, the needle is embedded inside and the music is played through embedded speakers or wirelessly to a bluetooth speaker.

It’s a simple and brilliant idea. Just lay the vinyl of your choice on a flat surface, place the RokBlok on it, and it will start to play. Making vinyl records properly portable is a fun concept, if a little gimmicky. Honestly, if you want to listen to music while you’re out and about or relaxing somewhere, streaming will be a little easier than taking out a vinyl.

But that nostalgia train that’s fuelling the vinyl comeback isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so consider the RokBlok something that an awful lot of vinyl fans (including the guy writing this) will want hanging around sooner than later.

The RokBlok by Pink Donut is available to back now on Kickstarter, and has already soared past its $50,000 goal with 27 days to go.